AEterna Zentaris and Sanofi-Aventis Sign a Development, Commercialization and Licensing Agreement for Cetrorelix in Benign Prostatic H...( All amounts are in US dollars ...)

All amounts are in US dollars

QUEBEC CITY, March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - AEterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS; TSX: AEZ), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and oncology, today announced the signing of a development, commercialization and licensing agreement with sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN; NYSE: SNY) for the development, registration and marketing of cetrorelix in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for the U.S. market. Cetrorelix, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) antagonist, is currently in a Phase 3 program in BPH, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, affecting more than 20 million men in the U.S. alone.

Under the terms of the agreement, sanofi-aventis will make an initial $30 million upfront payment to AEterna Zentaris which will also be entitled to receive up to $135 million in additional payments upon achieving certain pre-established regulatory and commercial milestones. Furthermore, AEterna Zentaris will be entitled to receive escalating double-digit royalties on future net sales of cetrorelix for BPH in the United States. Sanofi-aventis will be responsible for the commercialization and booking of sales in the U.S.; however, AEterna Zentaris has retained certain rights to co-promote cetrorelix for BPH in the U.S. market. Finally, sanofi-aventis may perform future Phase 3b and Phase 4 clinical trials, while AEterna Zentaris will have free access to all data for other territories.

"We are delighted to have a partner such as sanofi-aventis who has a proven track record in urology. This partnership marks an important milestone in our quest to bring cetrorelix to market which could provide millions of men with a novel treatment for BPH. Furthermore, this compound could generate sign
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